Chicago 2016 leader is appointed to promote amateur athletics as chairman of World Sport Chicago

Patrick Ryan, head of Chicago's failed Olympic bid, will join nonprofit created as an affiliate of the bid

November 13, 2009|By Kathy Bergen, TRIBUNE REPORTER

Patrick Ryan, the leader of Chicago's failed 2016 Olympic bid, will continue efforts to promote amateur athletics by assuming the chairmanship of World Sport Chicago, a nonprofit created as an affiliate of the bid.

The appointment comes a little more than a month after the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Games, sending the competition to South America for the first time.

FOR THE RECORD - This story contains corrected material, published Nov. 21, 2009.

Ryan succeeds William Scherr, an Olympic medalist in wrestling who will become president of the organization. Both are volunteer positions.

Michael Conley, an Olympic medalist who was president of the organization during the bid, will remain on the board. Conley lives in Indianapolis and is frequently on the road in his work as a sports agent.

World Sport Chicago will operate with funds remaining from the privately financed Olympic bid, which raised more than $76 million. While the bid's finances are still being closed out, it is expected that about $5 million will be left to continue the work of World Sport Chicago in the next year. The bid already has invested $13 million in the organization. (This paragraph as published has been corrected in this text.)